Children in Need Grants: Who Can Apply and How
BBC Children in Need funds UK charities and not-for-profits working with children and young people. Its grant streams, who is eligible and how to apply.
BBC Children in Need is one of the biggest funders of children's work in the UK, and its Appeal Show is on Friday 13 November 2026. It funds local charities and not-for-profit groups working with children and young people aged 18 or under, with grants of £1,000 to £40,000 a year for up to three years. Here is how its grant streams work, who can apply and what a strong application shows.
Last checked: 2 November 2026. Every rule and amount below was checked on BBC Children in Need's own pages.
What BBC Children in Need funds
The charity funds work that strengthens children's wellbeing through positive relationships, for children facing challenges such as poverty, illness or disability, mental health issues, family difficulties or social injustice. It says it can currently fund only 1 in 6 of the applications it receives, so it pays to check the fit before you start.
The grant streams
| Stream | What it pays for | Amount | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Costs | Running costs: management, salaries for essential roles, office costs, accountancy, governance | £1,000 to £40,000 a year, up to 3 years | None, apply any time |
| Project Costs | A defined, usually time-limited piece of work, including costed overheads linked to it | £1,000 to £40,000 a year, up to 3 years | None, apply any time |
| Emergency Essentials | Beds, cookers, fridges, washing machines and other essentials for a child in crisis | Items or funding, one application per household a year | Open; referrers only |
Both Core and Project grants are restricted funding. You must name the specific costs you want covered. Neither stream funds full cost recovery or a percentage of all your overheads, such as "10% of overheads". The largest possible grant is £120,000 over three years, and most grants are much smaller.
Emergency Essentials works differently. It helps individual children up to and including age 17, and is run for the charity by Family Fund Business Services. A registered referrer, such as a support worker or social worker, must apply on the family's behalf. Parents cannot apply directly. It aims to process applications within 10 working days.
Who can apply
You need to be a not-for-profit organisation working with children and young people aged 18 or under in the UK, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. The rules then depend on the size of your request and your income.
- £15,000 a year or less: unregistered voluntary groups can apply, as long as they meet the charity's minimum standards.
- Over £15,000 a year: you must be registered with the right regulator. That includes registered charities, CIOs, companies limited by guarantee that cannot distribute profit, and CICs limited by guarantee. CICs limited by shares cannot apply at this level.
- Income limits: Core Costs will not fund organisations with income over £1 million in their latest full year. For Project Costs the limit is £2 million, unless you are a hospice or a domestic abuse refuge.
It does not fund schools, local authorities, NHS bodies, capital or building projects, work that promotes religion, or anything already spent before a decision. Special schools can apply for Project Costs, but not Core Costs. In most cases you can hold only one grant at a time.
How to apply: the expression of interest step
- Read what it funds in your nation or region, and the eligibility guidance.
- Attend a pre-application advice session in the area where most of your work happens. This is required before you submit, even if you have had a grant before.
- Submit an expression of interest (EOI) through your online account.
- If invited, complete the full application within 30 days of receiving the link.
Requests of £15,000 a year or less get quicker decisions. The charity also says it receives a very high number of applications between October and January, so decisions can take longer. As it never funds work retrospectively, leave plenty of time before your start date.
What a strong application shows
Before you apply, check you meet the minimum standards. The main ones are:
- a governing document with charitable aims, a not-for-profit clause and a dissolution clause or asset lock
- a governing body of at least three people, at least one of them independent
- signed accounts no more than 18 months old, or a financial forecast if you are newer
- payments reviewed by at least two unrelated people
- a safeguarding policy in your own name, a named safeguarding lead, regular training and background checks
Beyond the paperwork, show that children and young people help shape the work, and be precise about what each pound pays for.
Questions people ask
Can a CIC apply to BBC Children in Need? Yes, if it meets the minimum standards and has an asset lock that names a not-for-profit with similar aims. For more than £15,000 a year, it must be limited by guarantee. See more grants for CICs.
Is there a deadline linked to the appeal? No. Core Costs and Project Costs are open all year, and the appeal does not change that.
What if we are turned down? The charity says it will tell you when you can next apply.
For other options, see our guides to core costs funding and youth project grants, or all BBC Children in Need grants on GrantMatch.
Working with children and young people? Create a free GrantMatch account and we'll email you new grants that fit your organisation.
We check funder details on the funder's own website before publishing. Funders do change their rules, so always confirm on their site before you apply.